Representational Photo (AP)
Stefan Milicevic has been banned from the sport until October 2050 after being charged with match-fixing and attempting to recruit players into an alleged corruption network. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the suspension on Thursday, along with a $70,000 fine. Milicevic, who mainly competed in lower-tier tournaments, achieved a career-best singles ranking of 1,338 in 2014.
The alleged network led to other players fixing matches, according to the ITIA. The ITIA said Milicevic failed to cooperate with its investigation and did not respond to its findings, despite seven attempts to contact him. The ITIA also charged him with recruiting or trying to recruit several professional players into a network allegedly involved in match-fixing during that period. However, the agency did not reveal the specific matches involved or name the other players suspected of taking part.
Milicevic’s punishment comes after French tennis player Quentin Folliot received a 20-year ban in December following an investigation that identified him as a central figure in an alleged match-fixing network operating on behalf of a syndicate.